AZTECS’ OFFENSE APPEARS TO BE ON UPSWING

Improvement was visible despite pair of late-game INTs

Three things to know about New Mexico State

1. The Aggies are bad on defense: How bad? They’re last among all FBS teams and have allowed an average of 605.5 yards per game. They’ve also given up an average of 323 rushing yards per game. Even the Aztecs can’t possibly let this one get away from them.

2. New Mexico State runs a hybrid pistol/spread offense: The 0-4 Aggies are a pistol team when they want to run the ball and a spread team when they want to throw it. SDSU coach Rocky Long said they start out in the pistol and try to control the ball. They go to a spread when they’re behind, which is frequent.

3. Beware safety Davis Cazares: Despite their defensive woes, Cazares is ranked No. 4 nationally in total tackles. Cazares is averaging 12 tackles per game and notched 14 tackles (10 solo), two picks and one fumble recovery in Saturday’s loss at UCLA.

San Diego State quarterback Quinn Kaehler threw the game away at the end — literally — with two interceptions in the final three minutes, allowing Oregon State to sneak away with a 34-30 win Saturday.

But in the grand scheme, Kaehler didn’t do badly in his first career start for the Aztecs.

Until the two final drives, Kaehler had completed nearly 74 percent of his passes, and was 14 of 19 for 239 yards with two touchdowns.

“I thought Quinn had a very good game up until the very end,” Aztecs coach Rocky Long said. “I thought he threw the ball pretty accurately, made some good plays that kept drives alive.”

It doesn’t make up for the two costly picks at the end, but it does give the Aztecs some room for optimism as they begin practice for their final nonconference game Saturday at New Mexico State.

Under Kaehler, the Aztecs scored a touchdown on the opening possession — a 23-yard pass to D.J. Pumphrey — for the first time this season and found momentum in the passing game with a variety of short and intermediate passes and an effective use of screen plays.

As Colin Lockett’s 80-yard touchdown in the first quarter showed, the Aztecs’ receivers also helped their quarterback by adding yards after the catch.

The play that ended in Lockett’s touchdown started at the Aztecs’ 20. It came off a bootleg by Kaehler, who hit Lockett 20 yards upfield, at about the 40-yard line. The speedy receiver did the rest, ducking two defenders and outrunning Oregon State’s defense for an 80-yard touchdown reception that tied the game 14-14 at the end of the first quarter.

Kaehler finished 16 of 25 for 251 yards with two touchdowns and a pair of ugly interceptions.

As Lockett put it, the overall performance against Oregon State was much better than anything the Aztecs have managed so far.

Even though the defeat was disappointing, “I’m more happy for my guys that they came out and fought,” Lockett said. “We didn’t do that in the past two weeks. … We really tried to put a whole game together and we showed a lot of improvement.”

Kaehler is also trying to take the loss in stride.

“We had some guys make some really good plays, and that’s how we can play if we execute,” Kaehler said. “We still made mistakes, but we can move the ball and score points as long as we do our jobs.

“Right now, I just want to get back to work and try to get better so this doesn’t happen again, so our teammates don’t have to feel this anymore.”